EPA contractors perform groundwater sampling to identify contaminants located in water near the Halaco site.

EPA has begun an assessment of the former Halaco Engineering Company facility located in Oxnard, Calif., near Ormond Beach. The purpose of this site assessment is to determine how to best clean the property and if additional Superfund action is needed.

Halaco Engineering Co. is a bankrupt smelting firm which generated a large amount of waste solids; over a 35 years approximately 28 acres of waste solids were created. The EPA has already determined that a time-critical removal action is necessary to stabilize the site and reduce immediate concerns about site contamination.

The EPA’s removal action will begin at the end of June.

EPA air sampling activity

"Because the Halaco Engineering site is close to growing communities, fish and wildlife sanctuaries, valuable wetlands resources and the ocean, the EPA will secure the site to avoid future contamination,” said Daniel Meer, Chief of the Response Planning and Assessment Branch for EPA's Southwest Region. “Based on additional air, water, and soil sampling, the EPA will determine later this year what, if any, additional Superfund action is required. Any action we take will include consideration of all stakeholder interests”

The EPA is working with other federal, state and local agencies to assess the site and surrounding environment and ensure that threatened and endangered species are not harmed during the sampling event.

Past sampling at the Halaco site conducted by the EPA and sister agencies documented the presence of elevated concentrations of copper, zinc, nickel, arsenic, cadmium, zinc, chromium and radioactive scrap metals.

Contact Information

For more information on the proposed Halaco Engineering Co. cleanup, please contact: